I really like that you broke these down into the individual stories. I did read the "Dragon" story. I'll get to this one next. I bought the Independent Press version from Amazon because I dug the cover.
It has been fun to hear your impressions. I do think the characters are linked! The relationship with Tessie is an uncomfortable one but I think that is on purpose. All of these characters in the various stories have different kinds of uncomfortable relationships, either romantic or friendships or with people in general. It serves as an emotional thread linking the stories together that all of these characters are maladjusted in some ways, with maybe a suggestion that that is what attracts them to the King in Yellow. The fraught relationships between older mature artists and thier young models, and the annoyance between 'mature' and 'immature' is I think a kind of trope in the art world at least.... it is also kind of ironic because the artist's constant annoyance at Tessie immatury is actually a clue for us to his own emotional immaturity... again a common trope of artists is the Peter Pan syndrome. So IMO the romance elements really add to the horror because it creates a background tension... these emotionally immature characters stumbling into this terror and doing the emotionally immature thing of reading the book they know they shouldnt read. This is something that I think makes Chambers a bit more interesting than even Lovecraft for me because Lovecrafts characters often suffer from the HG Wells issue of being emotionally or spiritually vacant, which can make them difficult to relate to. As far as Lovecraft inspirations, I feel like there is so much in these stories that resonates in Lovecraft. The idea that not just a book, but also atonal sounds and even a color from another realm can enduce madness. We also have the idea of the alignments of stars and dimensional gates coming as a vague reference from Bierce... as well as this idea that what is coming through that dimensional gate is pure evil. Extending from that idea is William Hope Hodgeson's House on the Borderland which is absolute madness and IMO had to have been a strong influence on Lovecraft as well!
House on the borderland is WILD I've never encountered anything else quite like it, and there is a graphic novel adaptation which goes off in its own wild direction as well, and I think that they are both good companion pieces for each other, and I agree, HP took a great deal of influence from Hodgeson there. He basically sang the praises for House on the Borderland in his "supernatural horror in literature" essay.
Back in the original edition of Delta Green (idk about the new one) there was a good bit of info for their take on Hastie, and a really well thought out campaign outline with a scenario kicking it off called "the night rooms" I think, or the "night floor". Which is also what I low-key think the "backrooms" was inspired by. It's brilliant, and I would recommend checking it out.
I have the Greek translation of this book with the same stories and the same spread of horror and slice of life romance. I can recommend the others for world building purposes. Great analysis I will go back and read them again.
This has been cool to learn about a predecessor of the craft pun intended! A modern successor I highly recommend is Brain Keene. For example the story Ghost Walk, part of a series about an ancient evil. Similar concept to the somewhat undefined entity in Phantoms. He creates a pantheon of immortal beings that prey on humans and appear in variations in his novels. I absolutely loved the verbally abusive Zombies demon possessed by the Siqqusim in Dead Rising.
I have a hard time separating the events from "in the court of the dragon" from this story, in my mind, as they both seem to focus on a church, and the theme of some form of sanctity or purity being violated, this one goes even heavier with that theme considering Scotts angst over him fearing he is "corrupting" Tessie. I choose to assume she is at least in her 20s because otherwise that whole situation becomes creepy for all the wrong reasons, but their romance is, as you say, very typical of its era of storytelling and... Almost too typical, like that's the point, lie the whole thing is just a set up for the reading of the accursed play, and the inevitable doom which follows. Now, if he's the same Jack Scott from the other story then he has seen some shit, you don't just take part in turning animals to stone, and knowing a human was also transformed this way, especially one you know and care about, and come away fine afterwards. He also has a close run in with the play because of, not only Caststaigne, but from the copy of it in that story... Almost like it has been stalking him, in particular, for years.
@@albertcapley6894 Yes, I agree, there is a hint of morality play here. And in art circles this kind of 'romance' is a downright trope that continues on to this day.
"...what a precious triple donkey I had made of myself."
one of the wildest expressions I've read comes from this story.
I really like that you broke these down into the individual stories. I did read the "Dragon" story. I'll get to this one next. I bought the Independent Press version from Amazon because I dug the cover.
It has been fun to hear your impressions. I do think the characters are linked!
The relationship with Tessie is an uncomfortable one but I think that is on purpose. All of these characters in the various stories have different kinds of uncomfortable relationships, either romantic or friendships or with people in general. It serves as an emotional thread linking the stories together that all of these characters are maladjusted in some ways, with maybe a suggestion that that is what attracts them to the King in Yellow. The fraught relationships between older mature artists and thier young models, and the annoyance between 'mature' and 'immature' is I think a kind of trope in the art world at least.... it is also kind of ironic because the artist's constant annoyance at Tessie immatury is actually a clue for us to his own emotional immaturity... again a common trope of artists is the Peter Pan syndrome. So IMO the romance elements really add to the horror because it creates a background tension... these emotionally immature characters stumbling into this terror and doing the emotionally immature thing of reading the book they know they shouldnt read. This is something that I think makes Chambers a bit more interesting than even Lovecraft for me because Lovecrafts characters often suffer from the HG Wells issue of being emotionally or spiritually vacant, which can make them difficult to relate to.
As far as Lovecraft inspirations, I feel like there is so much in these stories that resonates in Lovecraft. The idea that not just a book, but also atonal sounds and even a color from another realm can enduce madness. We also have the idea of the alignments of stars and dimensional gates coming as a vague reference from Bierce... as well as this idea that what is coming through that dimensional gate is pure evil. Extending from that idea is William Hope Hodgeson's House on the Borderland which is absolute madness and IMO had to have been a strong influence on Lovecraft as well!
House on the borderland is WILD I've never encountered anything else quite like it, and there is a graphic novel adaptation which goes off in its own wild direction as well, and I think that they are both good companion pieces for each other, and I agree, HP took a great deal of influence from Hodgeson there. He basically sang the praises for House on the Borderland in his "supernatural horror in literature" essay.
I am running a halloween Delta Green Campaign and this has been super helpful, Is King in yellow themed, Thanks! great channel!
Back in the original edition of Delta Green (idk about the new one) there was a good bit of info for their take on Hastie, and a really well thought out campaign outline with a scenario kicking it off called "the night rooms" I think, or the "night floor". Which is also what I low-key think the "backrooms" was inspired by. It's brilliant, and I would recommend checking it out.
@albertcapley6894 thanks, will check it out!
I have the Greek translation of this book with the same stories and the same spread of horror and slice of life romance. I can recommend the others for world building purposes. Great analysis I will go back and read them again.
This has been cool to learn about a predecessor of the craft pun intended! A modern successor I highly recommend is Brain Keene. For example the story Ghost Walk, part of a series about an ancient evil. Similar concept to the somewhat undefined entity in Phantoms. He creates a pantheon of immortal beings that prey on humans and appear in variations in his novels. I absolutely loved the verbally abusive Zombies demon possessed by the Siqqusim in Dead Rising.
I've read these stories many times. Yeah, always something. 16:12
Have you, seen the Sign?
I have a hard time separating the events from "in the court of the dragon" from this story, in my mind, as they both seem to focus on a church, and the theme of some form of sanctity or purity being violated, this one goes even heavier with that theme considering Scotts angst over him fearing he is "corrupting" Tessie. I choose to assume she is at least in her 20s because otherwise that whole situation becomes creepy for all the wrong reasons, but their romance is, as you say, very typical of its era of storytelling and... Almost too typical, like that's the point, lie the whole thing is just a set up for the reading of the accursed play, and the inevitable doom which follows. Now, if he's the same Jack Scott from the other story then he has seen some shit, you don't just take part in turning animals to stone, and knowing a human was also transformed this way, especially one you know and care about, and come away fine afterwards. He also has a close run in with the play because of, not only Caststaigne, but from the copy of it in that story... Almost like it has been stalking him, in particular, for years.
@@albertcapley6894 Yes, I agree, there is a hint of morality play here. And in art circles this kind of 'romance' is a downright trope that continues on to this day.